Fence making machine



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3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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G. Q. ADAMS. FENCE MAKING MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 10, 1885.

@16% GPRSN ATTRNEYS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

G. Q. ADAMS. FENCE MAKING MACHINE. No. 312,063. Patented Feb. l0, 1885.

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ATTORNEYS NITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

GEORGE Q. ADAMS, OF QUINOY, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE A` B C FENCE COMPANY OF NEW' YORK.

FENCE-MAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 312,063, dated February l0, 1885.

Application filed April 1, 1884.

(No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that l, GEORGE Q. Ani-ins, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fence-Making Machines,

of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a machine for making picket fence wherein the strips of wood or meta-l are fastened together by means of wire.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a .side elevation of my machine; Fig. 2, a plan 25 joined together at the top by cross-piece 4,

5 from the reels 10 and 13 pass before engaging and thereby form a support for the upper end of inclined timbers 1, the lower end of which .rests on a cross-timber of the frame. The horizontal supporting-timber 7 7 rests on the uprights 5 5 and cross-timber 9, and is further secured by bolts to the nprights 3 3 at 8, and the side frames thus formed are held to` gether by cross-timbers 9 and 6.

Pivotcd onto the frame-piece 1 by bearings 11 are five wire-reels, 10. Above the said reels 10, and pivoted to same frame, 1, by bearings 12, are five other wire-reels, 13. The reels are constructed in the usual manner, and are intended to hold the wire for wiring the pickets together and to prevent the wire from unwinding too rapidly. I attach a brake, 13a, to the one side of each reel-frame.

Fastened to the cross-timber 9 are five tension-plates, 14, through which the wires 15 15 with the operating parts of the machine. rIhe said wires 15 15 enter the plates 14 through guide-holes 16 16, thence over and under adjustable tension blocks or pins 17 17 in plate 5o 14, passing out through corresponding holes in the other end of the said plate, and from there enter the twisting-head 18. The object of these tension-blocks is to increase or decrease the tension of the wire between said plates 14, and the operative parts of the ma- 5 chine, and thereby enable the fence to be woven more evenly. The twisting-heads 18 (five in number) are journaled in bearings s on two cross-timbers, 19. The said twistingheads are connected together and revolved si- 6o multaneously by spur-gear wheels 20 20, fastened on the center of the twistingheads, (see Fig. 6,) and the bevel-gear 22, fastened to one end of one of the twisting-heads and gearing into the bevel-gear 23, secured to crank-shaft 6 5 24, journaled on supporting-.frame 7 and the whole operated by the crank 25. rIhe twisting-head 18 consists of the hollow cylindrical casing 32, closed at both ends, (see Fig. 6,)

and provided with two hollow twisting-arms, 7o

33 34, one above the other, and extending through the case, and fastened to head 18 at one end and protruding from the other as two arms. The protruding arms are curved, as

shown, to enable the picket to be easily fed in 7 5 vbetween the said arms 33 and 34 in space 37.

-On the inner side of the frame-timber 7, and surrounding the crank-shaft 24, is a disk, 26, fixed to said frame 7, having therein a circular slot, 28, into which the adjustable stop- 8o pin 30 is placed, (sec Fig. 5,) andmovablc pin 29.

Upon the hub of the bevel-gear 23 is fastened a forked arm, 31, of sufficient length to pass radially beyond the circular slot 28, and 8 5 the fork is spread apart, so as to pass by the tion of arrow, leaves the pin 29 and passes the 95 adjustable pin 30, making the revolution or complete circle. The forked arm 31 then coming in contact with the pin 29, it will convey said pin along the slot 28 nntilit comes to rest mechanism connected therewith to come to a rest, and having made awhole revolution and against the adjustable stop 30, causing all the roo a part of another. The motion of the crank being then reversed, the-pin 29 remains against the stop 30 until the forked arm 3l makes one revolution, and, passing the stop 30, comes in contact with the pin 29, conveying same along the slot 28 to the terminus of said slot,` when all comes to a rest again and ready for the operation t0 be repeated.

In front of the twisting-heads upon the frame-timber 7 are fastened adjustable bearings 40, in which the shafts 38 39 (seelig.6 are j ournaled.

Secured to shaft 38 are fiveeurved arms, 41, and lever-arm, 45, and secured to shaft 39 are five other curved arms, 43, and leverarm, 46. The curved arms 41 43 are for gripping the wires and holding them while the twisting of the wires takes place. The curved arms 41 43 are set or placed on their respective shafts 38 39, directly over the wires, one above and one below, and are forced together and grip the wire by the levers 45 46, which are secured Vto said shafts, and forced apart by the carriage 47, traveling back and forth between said levers, and coming in contact with the curve or angle on end of said levers 45 46, and the said levers are held together by spring 54. The carriage 47 is provided with anti-friction wheels 48, and is operated from the rock-shaft 52 by lever-arm 50 and connectin g-rod 51. The shaft 52 is journaled to frame 2 2, and has the feed-arms 42 and lever-arm 50 attached thereto, and is rotated by the handlever 53, also attached to said shaft 52. The arms 41 43 are provided with gripping-blocks secured to said arms by screws, to enable the blocks to be replaced when worn or broken without removing arms 41 43.

The winding-wheel 55, onto which the woven or wired pickets are wound, consists of two bars or timbers, 56 and 57, with a tongue, 58, at each end, which enter the slot 59 in the movable disks 60, which are placed at each side ofthe machine. To these disks 60 are attached the shafts 61, which pass into the sleeves 62, journaledin the bearing 63 and upon the frame 1*. The extreme ends of the shafts 61 are provided with threaded screws 64, which pass through the outer caps, 65, of the sleeves 62, and the protruding end 66 is made square, so that the screw 64 may be easily turned. Now, by turning the screw 64, the disks 60 are drawn away from the bars 56 57, and they can be easily removed from the roll of woven fence, when so desired. The bars are easily replaced by inserting the tongue 58 of the bars in the slots 59 of the disks 60 and forcing the said disks up against the shoulders of the bars by screws 64.

The winding-reel 55 is revolved by a rotating gripping device. It consists of the grasping-pawls 68 69, fulcrumed onto the forked arms 70 71. The pawls act on the circumference or periphery of the wheel 88 and draw the forked arms 70 71 forward, bringing the lugs 72 to bear against the inner circumference of the rim of the wheel 88, grasping it firmly and moving same forward inrdirec'tion of arrow. The forked ends of the arms 70 71 fit around the axle of sleeve 62. The pawl 68 is operated by connecting-rod 73 and arm 74, and the pawl 69 is operated by connecting-rod 77 and arm 78. The arms 74 78 are attached to shaft 76, which is rotated by the arm 80. The reel 55 has a similar rotating device at both ends, so that the tension on the rolls of fence will be equal, and both devices are operated by the lever and rock-shaft 76. The object of the double pawl on each side of the machine is that a forward motion is imparted to the wheel 88 by either a downward 'or upward motion of the lever 80.

The operation of the machine is as follows: After the-wires 15 15 leave the reels 10 13 they pass through the tension-plates 14, to and through the twisting-heads 18 between the gripping-arms 41 43, along over the idle-roller 44 to the reel 55, where they are fastened. When this is done, the lever-arm 53 is moved in direction of arrow. The gripping-arms 41 42 will close and hold the wires together. After this is done the twisting-heads are revolved by means of the crank 25. This movement twists the two wires together at 49. After this is done the lever-arm 53 is moved back in place and a picket, 75, placed in between the two curved protruding arms 33 34, against the gage 89. The lever 53 is again moved forward in direction of arrow, moving the feedarms 42, attached to said shaft 52, in same direction, and thereby pushing the picket from between the twisting-arms 33 34 to and between the said gripping-arms 41 43, the said gripping-arms at the same time closing upon and holding the wires upon both sides of-the picket. Vhen this is done, the crank 25 is again turned in the opposite direction, and the twisting-arms 33 34 again twist the wires on the other side of thepicket. When the picket is thus secured, the feed-arms 42 are moved back in place and the said picket moved forward by the reeling device, which is operated by the movement of lever 80 until it comes against the fulcrumed stop 79. Another picket is then placed between the twistingarms 33 34 and the operation above described repeated. rlhe fulcrumed stop 79 is pivoted to an adjustable plate, 83, placed in the timbers 87, and is weighted on the lower end of lever-arm 82 at 85. This weight always keeps the stop perpendicular, except when the picket is passing over same, and when the said picket is past it comes back to its former position by the gravity of the weight. For retaining the stop 79 in a fixed position to gage the space of the pickets uniformly, I have an adjustable arm, 84, attached to arms 42. Now, when the said lever 42 brings the picket under the grippingarms 41 43, the said arm 84 engages with the weight end 85 of the stop 79 and holds it firmly IOO IIO

until released by moving the lever 42 back to its former position.

Although I show five sets of reel-arms, tensions, plates, twisting-head, and grippers, I do not conne myself to that number, as more or less may be used.

What I claim is- 1. In a fence-machine with twisting-heads, the curved detachable arms or thimbles 33, eX- tending forward of the case 32, through which the wire 15 is passed before twisting, substantially as for the purpose specied.

2. 'Ihe shaft 24, bevel-gears 23 and 22, gears 20, and twisting-heads, in combination with arm 31, movable pin 29, stop-pin 30, and disk 5. The disk eo, with slots 59, and shafts e1, l

with threaded screws 64, and sleeve 62, in combination with the bars 56 57, with tongues 58, 25 substantially as for the purpose specified.

6. The pawls 68 69, in combination with wheels 88, arms 70 71, lugs 72, connecting-rods 73 77, and arms 74 78, rock-shaft 76, andlever-handle 80, substantially as for the purpose set forth.

7. In a picket-fence-weaving machine, the frame 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, wire-reels 10 13, with, automatic brake 13, tension-blocks 14, twistingheads 18, with twisting-arms 33 34, grippingarms 41 43, and winding-ree155, all constructed as described, and operated substantially as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at New York, inthe county of New York and State of New York, this 22d day of 4o March, A. D. 1884.

GEORGE Q. ADAMS.

Vitnesses:

C. TH. WAGNER, HENRY CREAMER. 

